Everything I need to know . . .

I learned in youth group. Sometimes it's easy, as a youth pastor, to get caught up in administering the gospel to others. There is the quarterly newsletter, paperwork, weekly lessons, planning this and that, remembering so and so's birthday. It may be something that affects all pastors at some level, not so much like apathy, but perhaps anesthetized? Sure, I have worship on sunday mornings, but it's not often enough that I am affected by my own teaching.

Tonight was a great youth group, if only because it affected me to such a great extent. It was a simple gospel sunday. We showed the last half hour of The Passion of the Christ, from the Via Dolorosa to the resurrection, then we did a few minutes of reflective silence, and an closing prayer. It's been a while since I've seen the movie, and I had forgotten how powerful it is. And then on the way home Brandin and I listened to John Piper's sermon on the supremacy of God in Romans 9. It just all worked together in a sort of arching, telescoping way.

Telescoping? It reminded me of exactly why it is known as the offense of the cross. The execution (let's not water it down) of the Christ of God humbles. It offends the very core of us because we are a prideful people. We are an unruly and rebellious house. We like to believe ourselves as the masters of our own fate. To be humbled, knowing that Christ made this sacrifice for me, offends the deeper levels of one's humanity. The cross also makes no distinction: male, female; Jew, Gentile; righteous, sinner. It's a carte blanche. Christ died so that all might be able to seek Him and find Him. Christ chose to die so that I might be saved. That fact alone makes all the stressful things that I worry about so miniscule. In God's grand scheme, my worries and stresses are mere dust motes. What does it matter, if I hunger or thirst or am indebted, when my God endured so very much?

I'm not sure if this has made enough sense. My thoughts are roiling and chaotic and emotive right now, so perhaps I'll edit this tomorrow. Suffice it to say that Christ is good, and strong, and wonderful, and I am so very thankful that He is my God.